Teaching Kids to Turn Dreams into Reality
"Dreams are like rocket ships, they take you places you would not otherwise go." ~Marnee
Hi Everyone,
Teaching children the art of making a dream-come-true is the secret to our world’s healing and longevity. What happens between making-up a dream and living a dream? Dream dust. Dream dust relates to all those steps that have to happen along the road to a dream-come-true. There is an art to making a dream come true. Following is an explanation of why some dreams become trapped:
- Dreamer: You have a dream – but no dream dust. You ache to achieve or experience something specific in your life, but have not taken the steps or made a game plan to move forward. You may hear yourself dreaming, “I wish I could do that.” Next step: Create some focused dream dust that will serve as your pathway to a dream-come true.
- Duster: You exude a bunch of dream dust, but have not swept it up to a specific dream. Something wonderful may lie ahead if you would only steer all the energy and hard work towards a milestone achievement or experience. You may hear yourself saying, “Why can’t that be me?” Next step: Decide that it WILL be you. Set a goal. Corral your efforts towards grabbing that dream for yourself.
- Doubter: Maybe you are already living a dream come true. Whether or not you dreamt this to be yours, you find yourself in something wonderful. Pick one aspect of your life. Maybe it is your home, family, security, health, job, independence, peace of mind, or even hope. What is it that you cannot bear to live without? Happiness is counting your blessings.
Have you helped a child find a dream come true? Here are some considerations:
- We need to encourage children to believe that there is a place out there beyond their reality and that they hold the power within them to be the change.
- Every child needs a dream catcher – a person who unconditionally believes in them, provides guidance and resources, and shows them in small and big ways how they can make things happen. Kids must see adults demonstrate perseverance, problem solving, resourcefulness, positive self-talk, and celebration. Disappointment is not a stop sign. Show them how a bump in the road or a U-turn is simply part of the journey.
- The person who believes in himself the longest is often the person who reaches the destination. Teach children to never give up on themselves. They are worthy and capable. This world is theirs to have. Their dreams are theirs to grow.
- Help them explore our world and places they could go. Likewise, show them all the technology and abilities we have in this world that were not even invented before they were born. All these things were simply people’s ideas. These dreamers were once kids, too. The secret is that they dared to imagine…then they took one step. They repeated this until they succeeded. It took Thomas Edison nearly 1100 tries before he came up with the light bulb that worked well. Ask your students if they have 1100 tries in them!
- Help your students experience a dream come true. With your students, decide what would be a real treat or accomplishment for the classroom. Initially, it is helpful to practice dreaming with a goal that is likely to come true sooner than later. The sense of accomplishment that arises will encourage children to dream further from their immediate grasp. Examples of classroom goals might be a fun fieldtrip, a class purchase, a world record, or a feel-good goal such as doing something incredibly kind for a family in need. Don’t forget the dream-dust…all the steps that need to happen before the dream comes true. Will it take five bake sales organized by the students? Will the students have to polish teacher’s shoes for a dollar each? Specifically model and elicit the steps to achieving the goal and then celebrate a job well done.
My parents taught me all about dream-come-trues. I watched them grow dreams from scratch my entire life. That is why I bellowed THANK YOU in the Atlantic Ocean this weekend. You see, as a girl who grew up on the prairies, I am used to seas of wheat – not oceans of water. Finding myself in the ocean was exhilarating. Long ago, I decided that one of my dreams was to kayak in the Atlantic Ocean. Then, at the local fair, I took a picture of myself in a kayak so I could envision myself achieving my dream. Next, I took kayak lessons in a pool – just in case I ever found myself in an ocean with a kayak. When my husband mentioned he had a business trip on the east coast, I gratefully arranged for grandpa and grandma to stay with my children and I jumped on the plane. Within hours of arriving, I was kayaking on the Atlantic Ocean with my husband and three nuns. I could not imagine better company! Our youthful guide’s name was Peter. I think his full name was Peter Pan because I am sure I saw some dream dust following his wake. A girl can dream.
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